I'm Detecting Jealousy
by daisygirl101
Summary: It's quite obvious that Frank Hardy has a thing for Nancy, but who knew Tino did too? Emotions can run rather high when your actions are fueled by jealousy. Set during TRN


Another one for Blue Moon Canyon! Woo! (If you haven't played this game you should cause it's amazing.)

Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys © Simon & Schuster Inc.

* * *

Nancy glared down the police detective sitting on the other side of the desk. He gave a charming smirk in reply. "Mr. Balducci, we need to work together on this. We're both detectives; if we work together things will move faster."

"Well, for a good-looking gal like you? Maybe there's a chance. And please, call me Tino."

"Well then, Tino, I just want the information you have, I don't need anything else from you," Nancy replied sternly. She had had it up to here with his personality.

This had been going on for maybe a day now. Nancy would come in to speak with him. Tino would have something 'relating to the case' to say. He would flirt with Nancy for a while before considering telling her, then if she let him carry on with his New Yorker personality, he would tell her his knowledge 'relating to the case'. This was driving her absolutely insane. Nancy came here to work, not to flirt. Tino wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Only for my favorite amateur detective, doll. We have reason to believe that Jake's mine is hidden right here in Copper Gorge. And we're gonna take a little hike up there soon," Tino muttered under his breath to Nancy. She sighed heavily.

"Really Tino? I come in here because you claim to have 'great news' pertaining to the case and you give me this. What makes you think the mine is in Copper Gorge?"

"How can I not think it's here? C'mon, join us for a hike, Nance," Tino began to beg. Nancy rolled her eyes and turned her back.

"No thanks, Tino. I'm going to check out the local stores," Nancy declared before heading toward the door.

"Hey, doll, would you like a jacket before you go out into the freezing snow in just a sweater?" Tino asked as he surveyed Nancy's outfit. She turned backed to look at him for a second.

"No thanks." Nancy didn't want anything of Tino's. She turned away, walking out of the room and into the cold snow. She shivered slightly before continuing on to the rest of the town. She hadn't even been looking where she was going until she ran right into someone rather warm. Their arms instantly came around her waist to keep her from falling. She gasped at the sudden warmth and placed her hands on their chest. She couldn't help the tinge of pink that drifted across her face as she stared into the warm brown eyes of Frank Hardy.

What exactly was Frank to Nancy? A partner? A best friend? An inspiration? Maybe even a secret crush? Perhaps all of them combined. Nancy knew that deep down in her heart her secret wouldn't last for much longer. If they kept getting themselves into situations like this, Nancy would be forced to spill her feelings.

"Whoa, Nan. Are you okay?" Frank asked as he continued to steady her. His warm breath hit her cheeks. Nancy Drew was _almost_ at a loss for words.

"Yeah. Sorry about that, Frank," Nancy said, regretfully taking a step back from Frank. His arms slipped away from her waist, and the cold hit her all over again. She wrapped her arms around her thin frame to keep from shivering. Frank gave out a chuckle.

"That's okay. What are you doing out here in this cold without a jacket, missy?" Frank said as he reached for her hands. "You're cold already." Without a second thought, he shrugged his own jacket off and threw it around her shoulders.

"Frank you don't have to-"

"I'm getting back on the train right now anyway. I won't need it. Keep it for now," Frank said as he helped her arms through the sleeves. Nancy couldn't help the swarm of butterflies that had escaped inside of her.

"Thanks Frank," she muttered in reply, loving the feel of his blue jacket on her shoulders. He gave a smile and nodded.

"Of course, Drew."

From a train car window, Tino watched the two teens curiously, almost wanting to take notes.

* * *

"Tino."

"Well hello, my favorite detective. How are you?" Tino asked with a smile most girls would've found charming. Nancy was not most girls.

"Fine Tino. Do you have anymore case information?"

"You know, it just so happens that I do have something for you." Tino reached down into one of the desk drawers and pulled out a small rock before setting it on the desk. Nancy examined it carefully before giving him a curious look.

"Tino. This is a rock."

"Ah! But it's not just any rock. We dug that up during our hike that you missed yesterday. Thought it might be some kind of magical stone or something, since it was the only rock of its kind for miles. Keep it. Remember to tell people that it came from the one and only Tino Balducci," Tino said with a wink. Nancy sighed and set the rock down.

"Look, Tino. I'm very helpful for your words of wisdom when they actually are wisdom."

"Nancy, I had higher hopes for you. I thought you wanted to learn from a world famous detective like me, but you're arguing with everything I say. Questions are good, disagreements are not."

"I couldn't agree more," she muttered as she walked away. She walked out of Jake Hurley's room and into the hallway before stopping abruptly. She stepped back quickly with her hands in front of her.

"Oh, Nancy! I, uh, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just passing by," Frank explained. She gave him a curious look, as if not believing his entire story. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry Frank. I guess its just Tino again. He's driving me insane with his 'help'," Nancy explained with a sigh. He nodded.

"Well, hang in there, okay?" Frank said with a light chuckle. Nancy smiled in reply and nodded.

Tino leaned on the other side of the wall, listening intently. _There must be a way I can get to Nancy before Frank does._

* * *

"Frank! Joe!" Nancy yelled as she ran into the dining car. They looked up at her with a concerned face.

"Whoa, Nancy! What happened?" Joe asked eagerly.

"Oh, I'm fine! But I think I found where the mine is!" The Hardy Boys' faces lit up.

"Really? Where?" Frank questioned.

"Brimstone Canyon. That's where his map points to," Nancy said quickly. She was so excited she could barely find room between her words to breathe.

"Wait a minute. I think I get my say in this," Tino declared as he stepped into the room. All of Nancy's excitement vanished within seconds. Frank and Joe each made a face.

"Tino, she found the mine. There's no need to be so rude," Joe defended.

"I just think this should be looked over by more than three amateur detectives," Tino declared with all the power and authority he could find.

"Could you keep it down in there? I'm trying to write a novel in here," came Charleena Purcell's voice from the room next door. They all ignored her and continued to argue.

"Tino, we don't need your opinion. Stop eavesdropping," Nancy declared. She was sick of him and his ego. He stood over her by at least eight inches and looked down at her. As he opened his mouth to say something, he was interrupted.

"Whoa, I could sense the electromagnetic tension waves from my car. Thought I'd check it out. What's going on here?" John Grey asked as he stepped into the room with the four detectives. He looked curiously at Tino and Nancy especially.

"Drew here thinks we need to pick up shop. What do you think, Mr. Ghost Hunter?" Tino asked John.

"I wouldn't mind a change of scenery. What does Lori think?"

Within a few minutes, all of the members of the Jake Hurley search party were sitting around the dining table. Tino sat at the head of the table on one side of Nancy; Frank sat on the other side of her. And Frank did _not_ like the way he was looking at her. He would eye her up and down when she wasn't looking and give a low grin. It definitely did not settle well with Frank. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably every time Tino would look her over.

The others at the table continued to discuss the issue at hand. Nancy continued to provide her reasons as to why to move locations. Lori seemed to be on her side, as did John. Charleena didn't seem to care either way. And Tino was too busy checking out Nancy to even realize the situation.

"What do you think Tino?" Lori finally asked. Tino suddenly came back to reality and joined the conversation.

"I, uh, yes. I agree," he said, having no idea what was going on. Nancy rolled her eyes.

"Seriously Tino? You agree now?" Nancy asked. Tino was completely lost. His mouth was slightly ajar and he looked around at the people staring back at him.

"Uh, yes. I've changed my mind," Tino said. Nancy stood suddenly and sighed.

"I need some air," she declared before trying to walk calmly out the caboose and into the snow. Frank stood after she left.

"I'll go after her. In the meantime, let's get ready to head out to Nevada," Frank told Lori as he turned away from the table. He gave a hard stare to Tino as he walked by. Joe noticed the tension and looked Tino over curiously. The others in the car dispersed and wandered off to prepare for the change in scenery.

"You know Tino, Nancy can be pretty scary," Joe started as Frank left the room. "I've seen her take down some guys twice your size. I wouldn't mess with her. You especially don't want to be on her bad side," Joe warned, seeming to understand what was going on now.

"Whatever. She's going to have to get back on this train if she wants to find that mine," Tino grumbled before going in the opposite direction. Joe shook his head and his eyes landed on the two people outside.

"Nance?" Frank hesitantly approached her as she stood by a lamppost on the train platform. Her back was to him and her arms were wound tightly around her thin frame. She didn't answer him at first. He walked around to face her and stopped in front of her.

"Why does he have to be such an ass?" Nancy muttered. Frank was surprised. It was extremely rare for the detective to swear. "All he does is look at me like an object and I can't handle this anymore!" Nancy broke. Frank reached out and placed his hands on her cheeks.

"Okay, whoa. Take it easy, close your eyes, relax. As long as I'm around, Tino is done treating you like this," Frank comforted as he hugged his detective. "He's jealous because you're an intelligent, independent detective and he's not." Nancy's brain turned off after she heard the word jealous.

"Jealous…" she trailed off. Her eyes suddenly snapped open. "Jealous Frank! That's it! Oh, why didn't I see it before?" she exclaimed and stepped back. Frank had no idea what she was talking about, but she was so excited it was hard not to smile. This was the Nancy Drew he knew and loved. "Frank, you're brilliant! Thank you!" she shouted and threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. Frank laughed and held her close.

"Okay, mind telling me what's going on in that brain of yours?"

"I'll be right back! I promise I'll tell you everything!" Nancy cried with a wide smile before running back to the train. Frank held back his laughter as he watched her go.

* * *

Nancy slammed her hands onto Tino's desk. He shot up in surprise. "You're jealous," Nancy accused with a sly grin. Tino made a face.

"What?"

"You're jealous of Frank! You like me and you're jealous that I'm closer to Frank than I am to you!" Nancy proudly declared. Tino looked moderately surprised.

"What? Jealous? No. No no, not me. Nope. Never."

"Yes you are. Don't lie to me Tino. I know you're lying." Tino seemed at a loss for words. "The minute I step off of this train, you're out of my life. Because you know what? You will never be my Frank Hardy," Nancy said with a grin before walking out of the car, leaving Tino a shocked, yet displeased mess.

* * *

Nancy stepped out onto the back railing of the caboose and strolled over to Frank Hardy, who was leaning against the railing watching the train tracks they were leaving behind. When he saw her, he smiled warmly. "Here to reveal your master plan?"

"A detective never reveals her secrets," Nancy joked and joined him against the railing.

"I think that's a magician," Frank laughed. Nancy laughed along and shrugged.

"I called Tino out completely. He was jealous of you," Nancy said as she looked out into the snowy wild wind. Frank turned to her in confusion.

"Tino was jealous of me?" The female sleuth nodded. "Why?"

"Because Tino isn't the detective I have eyes for," Nancy confessed as she looked down at the floor. Frank swore his heart stopped. He tipped her chin back up and looked at her softly.

"Please tell me it's not Joe either," Frank begged with a small smile. Nancy broke into laughter.

"No, silly. It's you," she confessed quietly. Frank grinned widely and pulled her into a kiss. This was a moment he previously thought he'd only see in dreams after being stuck watching Nicholas Sparks movies. But everything felt so perfect in that moment. The strong wind calmed to a breeze, a few snowflakes snuck their way into Nancy's hair, and their entire world seemed to slow down just for them.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment," Frank whispered against her lips.

"Believe me, I have," Nancy answered with a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. As Frank matched Nancy's warm smile, she knew finally understood why their hearts had always beat as one.

They were simply meant to be.

* * *

Oooooooh, a Disney reference! What a surprise~

Yay for 60th story! I think that means I'm successful! Lol


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